Introduction

On 25 August 2017, violence erupted in the northernmost part of Rakhine State and continued in the weeks and months that followed. All communities were directly or indirectly affected and many people were displaced within the State. Since then, more than 700,000 have fled across the border to Bangladesh and the impact of the violence continues to be felt by those who remain.

This page is meant to provide an overview of the Red Cross Movement’s operational response in the period between August 2017 to June 2018. Since the Myanmar conflict began, the emergency aid has mainly focused on food, health, shelter and non-food relief items, water, sanitation and hygiene promotion, food security and livelihood, and activities carried out on behalf of people entitled to protection under international humanitarian law. The map on the left shows the geospatial distribution of various emergency aid provisions.

The crisis in Myanmar began with coordinated attacks that took place in the Rakhine State of Myanmar in August 2017, leading to violence that continued for months. The state, which is the poorest in Myanmar, witnessed large-scale destruction and killings brought on by clashes and burning of homes and villages. A seperate layer showing villages that have been estimated from sattelite photos to have been damaged during the hostilites can be toggled on and off.

The violence led to a wave of displacement both inside Rakhine and from Rakhine into Bangladesh. Within five months of the Myanmar conflict, it is estimated that over 700,000 people have crossed into Bangladesh to flee the violence, while tens of thousands have been displaced in the Rakhine state.

Source: ICRC

Refugees (incl. refugee-like situations):

Source: UNHCR - The UN Refugee Agency, Myanmar Information Management Unit (MIMU)

Damaged Villages

The map allows toggling areas of satellite-detected destroyed or otherwise damaged settlements in Buthidaung, Maungdaw, and Rathedaung Townships in the Maungdaw and Sittwe Districts of Rakhine State in Myanmar. Analysis used satellite imagery collected on multiple dates between 31 August and 11 October 2017 and encompassed an area of about 4,800 square kilometers. Satellite analysis combined with information on settlement locations in Myanmar indicate that approximately 275 towns and villages were affected. This includes 34 in Buthidaung, 225 in Maungdaw, and 16 in Rathedaung.Continued cloud cover and haze during the period in question means that destruction is likely underestimated in this analysis. This is a preliminary analysis and has not yet been validated in the field. Source: UN Operational Satellite Applications Programme (UNOSAT)